Arab Higher Committee

The Arab Higher Committee was an important group for Palestinians during a time of big changes in their land. It started on April 25, 1936, led by Haj Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. The group included leaders from different Palestinian families and political groups, all working together under the mufti's leadership.

The committee was created when many Palestinians were upset about changes being made by the British, who were in charge of the area known as Mandatory Palestine. People wanted more control over their own lives and felt their needs were not being heard.

In September 1937, the British government outlawed the Arab Higher Committee after a British official was killed. Later, in 1945, the Arab League tried to bring the committee back, but it didn't work very well, especially during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. After that, Egypt and the Arab League created a new government called the All-Palestine Government, and both the committee and this new government were banned by Jordan.

Formation, 1936–1937

The Arab Higher Committee was created on 25 April 1936. It was formed by leaders from different Palestinian Arab families and political groups, led by Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. The committee was made to organize and represent the Arab people in Palestine during a time of unrest.

The committee supported a big strike in May 1936, asking for an end to people moving into Palestine from other places, stopping land from being sold to them, and setting up a government that represented the local people. Later, the British government set up a special group to look into the problems. In September 1937, after some violent events, the British government banned the Arab Higher Committee and arrested or exiled many of its members.

War period, 1938–1945

When the group was not allowed to continue in September 1937, some of its members were sent away from their homes. The leader, Amin al-Husayni, escaped and went to live in Beirut. Another member, Jamal al-Husayni, went to Syria. Three others were sent to the Seychelles, and some members chose to live in nearby countries. The group’s activities mostly stopped, but this did not change the way people were organized in their political actions.

As a big war in Europe was beginning, the British government tried to bring the two main groups in Palestine together for a meeting in London in late 1938. Some Arab leaders agreed to this but said the British would need to talk to the leaders of the Arab Higher Committee and Amin al-Husayni. In November 1938, the British refused to let Amin al-Husayni join the meeting but agreed to let the five leaders from the Seychelles join. These leaders were released in December and went to Cairo and then to Beirut, where they formed a new Arab Higher Committee. Amin al-Husayni was not part of this group but still guided their actions. The London meeting started in February 1939, but the Arab group refused to meet with the Jewish group, and the meeting ended in March without any agreement. In May 1939, the British government shared its plans in a document called the 1939 White Paper, which both sides did not accept.

The leaders who had been sent away were not allowed back to Palestine until 1941. During the war, Amin al-Husayni was in occupied Europe and worked with the Nazi leaders. Both Amin and Jamal al-Husayni were part of a revolt in Iraq in 1941 led by people who supported Nazis. Amin escaped capture by British forces, but Jamal was caught in 1941 and kept in Southern Rhodesia until late 1945, when he was allowed to go to Cairo. Husayn al-Khalidi went back to Palestine in 1943. Jamal al-Husayni returned to Palestine in February 1946 as part of the new Arab Higher Committee, which was now recognized by the British government. Amin al-Husayni never went back to Palestine.

Reconstituted committee, 1945–1948

1945–1946

After World War II, Amin al-Husayni moved to Egypt and stayed there until 1959, when he moved to Lebanon. In March 1945, the Arab League was formed.

In November 1945, the Arab League countries formed a new Arab Higher Committee to lead the Palestinian Arabs in British Mandate of Palestine. This committee was led by the Husayni family and was recognized by both the Arab League and the British Mandate government. In February 1946, Jamal al-Husayni returned to Palestine and became the acting president of the committee.

1947–1948

In January 1947, the committee was renamed the "Arab Higher Committee" again, with Amin al-Husayni as chairman. The committee asked for an end to Jewish migration to Palestine, a stop to land sales to Jewish people, and the end of the British Mandate. They wanted Palestine to be an independent Arab state.

When the United Nations voted to divide Palestine in November 1947, the Arab Higher Committee rejected the decision and called for protests. After the British left Palestine in May 1948, several Arab countries sent armies into the area, starting what is known as the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The Arab Higher Committee said the Arab states were there to protect Arab people and property.

Criticism

The Arab Higher Committee faced criticism for not fully preparing the Palestinian people for the challenges ahead. Some believed it did not act strongly enough during important events, especially in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Because the Arab community was mostly focused on local matters, the Arab Higher Committee acted as a single group, making decisions for everyone. Any disagreement was often seen as going against the group’s goals.

Demise

The Arab League, with Egypt leading, created a government in Gaza on September 8, 1948. This happened during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and Amin al-Husayni led it. Six of the seven Arab League members recognized this government, but Transjordan did not.

King Abdullah of Transjordan saw this as a threat to his power. He ordered all armed groups, including al-Husayni’s Holy War Army, to break up in areas controlled by the Arab Legion. This order was carried out strictly by Glubb Pasha.

After the war, the Arab Higher Committee lost its importance and was not allowed in the Jordanian West Bank. The same happened to the government in Gaza.